With Seattle chosen as an early market for a new wave of electric vehicles, local drivers will get a chance to test the future of transportation.

I got a chance to test drive the all-electric Nissan Leaf as it rolled through town last weekend for the Seattle Auto Show and as part of Nissan's Drive Electric Tour ,a 23-city stop to introduce consumers to the much-hyped tailpipe-missing car. The Leaf is scheduled to start hitting local dealerships in December(although recent reports suggest there could be delays).

As we idled inside the new Stadium Nissan dealership just east of Qwest Field, I was surprised by how quiet the engine is. If a muscle car roars when you punch the gas, then the Leaf whispers. I was tempted to keep pressing the keyless ignition button because I wasn't sure the car was running.

It's so quiet that Nissan has added a whirring sound when the vehicle is traveling below 18 miles per hour. Above that speed, tire and wind noise are enough to warn pedestrians the Leaf is coming. The Leaf also beeps when in reverse.

The 24-kilowatt hour lithium-ion battery packed beneath the floor provides a maximum range of 100 miles on a single charge. We didn't have enough time to test the full range, but we did take the car for a thorough test drive through downtown, the freeway and up and down Capitol Hill.

The Leaf's early introduction to Washington and six other states coincides with the start of The EV Project, a large-scale federal study into infrastructure and power demands created by electric vehicle use. Ford also has chosen Seattle as one of the first markets to get the all-electric Focus, which debuts next year. The Chevy Volt, which runs on a battery and a gas-powered generator, also has been through town.

I'm not a car geek and I've never been a hybrid owner, but here are a few observations and things to consider:

With the shifting knob in regular drive mode, the Leaf handles just a like a normal car. Even up steep climbs on Capitol Hill, the Leaf accelerated easily.

Shift the Leaf into "Eco-mode" and you'll get the most range. In Eco-mode, the pedal offer more resistance and the regenerative brakes redirect more energy back into the battery. It adds about 10 miles to the range but makes the accelerator less responsive. With the pedal pushed to the floor, it took an extra second to get going. In Eco-mode, we crawled up Olive Way but still made it up.

If most of your driving is around town or to work or school, then you won't need to worry about running out of juice on the road. A five-mile drive with three passengers through Sodo to Interstate 5 and then up and around Capitol Hill and the Central area barely put a dent in the battery gauge. Long highway trips to Eastern Washington probably wouldn't work until more charging infrastructure is in place. When we left the dealership, the gauge showed a maximum range of 89 miles. It had dropped to 87 miles by the time we returned to the dealership.

Expect less routine maintenance with electric vehicles. With no gas-engine, there will no longer be a need to change the oil, the spark plugs or the air filter. That also means no more emissions tests. However, Nissan suggests coming in for a battery diagnostic once every year.

The battery life is expected to erode over time. Nissan expects the battery to hold about 80 percent of its charge after five years. If that's a concern, people might consider a three-year lease at $349 per month instead of purchasing one. The Leaf starts $32,780. The price will be reduced with a $7,500 federal tax credit.

Despite being a compact car, the Leaf feels roomy from both the front and back seat.

"They balanced this car for a lot of different consumers worldwide and being able to capture most people's needs and most people's price range," said Russell Vare, Nissan North America's EV regional manager, who accompanied us. "The intent is the could be someone's only car. It really depends on your commuting and your driving pattern."

To help ease "range anxiety," city and state leaders are trying to build out a network of fast-charging public stations where drivers can top off if needed. In addition to the EV project, Seattle received a $500,000 federal grant to install 50 charging stations on city properties. Twenty-six will be installed next year, with the first one at the Seattle Municipal Tower. King County also plans to install 200 charging stations at transit park-and-rides, van pool sites, and motor pool lots.

The Leaf's navigation system can direct you to the nearest charging station. To plug in, you pop a hood in front. All Leaf models are equipped to plug in to Level 2 240-volt charging stations, which take about 8 hours to restore full battery power. As part of the federally-funded EV Project, about 1,000 free 240-volt home-charging stations will be provided to Nissan Leaf owners selected to participate.

The higher-end SL version includes a solar-panel spoiler, rear-view camera, fog lamps, and plug-in capability for a 480-volt fast-charging station, which can re-juice the car to about 80 percent capacity in 26 minutes. The SL version is priced at $33,720.

All Leaf models participating in The EV Project will have fast-charge capacity, Vare said.

Experts think home-charging stations will provide enough spark to get the average commuter to and from work without running out of fuel. Nissan is developing an iPhone app to remotely set recharging times. For more information on home-charging stations, check here and here.

The Leaf's computer continually recalculates how much range you have left, depending on how fast you're driving, the conditions, how many passengers, whether the radio or heater is running, or speeds. On the model we drove, it recalculated every 500 feet, although Vare says consumer models will be programmed to be much less sensitive.

About 20,000 people paid $99 reservation fees to get a first chance at purchasing the Leaf. About 2,000 are from the greater Seattle area.